Keeper of Memories
by Yuumii
Summary: Irene walked into the Box with a goal in mind. But, like all the others, she lost her way amongst the massive walls of the maze. The commotion of her arrival and what ensued caused all the Gladers' memory to be completely rewired. All except one.
1. Chapter 1: Determination

Hi everyone! This is my first TMR fan fiction.

This is set before Thomas and Teresa arrive at the Glade, about a year after the first of the Gladers arrived. Since I've read the trilogy, there may be minor spoilers of the character background in the future, but no spoiler for the plot for the most part. (I'll put up a warning at the beginning of the chapter if there's any spoilers).

I know there's a lot of these stories around so I'm going to try my best to make this story original. Please read, enjoy, and review.

**Disclaimer: **I do not claim ownership of any of James Dashner's characters, settings, and plots for The Maze Runner Trilogy. I am only responsible for the creation of my Original Character, Irene.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Determination<strong>

She knew it was the craziest thing she's ever thought to do; but it'd work, at least the first half of the plan. After all, she's only ever monitored the effect of the memory wipe through a screen and hasn't actually felt what it was like first hand. She didn't dare leave a note of any kind on her persons; the employees would just remove it from her anyways.

She had gone over the plan for this day in her head a hundred times. She'd be switching out with a boy named Nigel, an abnormally tall 13 year old with rocker hair and extremely quiet personality. Right after the full body check and before he arrived at the room for the procedure, she knocked him unconscious behind the head and left him at a vacant room.

_Mouth shut, head down_ she reminded herself as she walked through the long hallway of to the designated room where doctors were waiting. She stopped in front of the door labeled "Group A Swipe Room". _There's still chance to turn around and go back, _she thought. But she knew she had no choice. She had to go and warn them: about what's happening and what's to come. Even after the memory wipe, she would manage somehow. With a big sigh, she opened the door and walked in.

She knew the doctors in the room were staring at her strangely. Beside the hair and height, she doesn't really look like Nigel, though no one said anything. Ironically, the people within W.I.C.K.E.D operated similar to the Gladers: Trust in the system. They never question the reason behind the upper level's decisions, which worked to her advantage in this case. She approached the center of the room where an operating table was.

"Don't worry," one of them said, "The Swipe won't hurt."

She nodded, not trusting her voice. She obediently laid herself on the table and waited. She was vaguely aware of a machine whirling to life and a mask being put on her face. All too soon, her vision became fuzzy and the doctors standing above her became faceless blurs among blue lights. She felt a sharp pain suddenly hitting her head and watched as her memories speed before her like a video on fast forward: Entering W.I.C.K.E.D; introduced to Calvin, then being isolated with no one to talk to but him; overhearing something about substitute; listening to conversations in her head but not being able to respond; adjusting the voltage of the lighting and the viciousness of the metal ball; watching a boy from the eyes of a beetle blade; walking into this room, determined.

"Remember: Wicked is good" a voice said above her.

_My name is Irene, _was her last thought before blackness took over, _I'm going into the Glade to show them the truth, to warn them._

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><p><span>WICKED Memorandum, Date 229.6.21, Time 22:00<span>

**TO:** My Associates

**FROM:** Ava Paige, Chancellor

**RE: SUBJECT R1 in GROUP A MAZE TRIALS**

I trust that all you of have heard of what happened by now. This turn of event is unexpected to say the least. But we will just have to strive through and treat it as another Variable. Group A has shown remarkable endurance for the past year; it'd be good to study their patterns with the involvement of an opposite gender, as well as the stimulation and obstacles this would mean for them. Of course, this means that Subject R2 will have to be sent to Group B. In turn, the four ultimate Candidates must be watched closely, now more than ever, as there are no longer any replacements. This would mean many potential setbacks in the future. I hope you all know that this will be the last time. Another slip like this one will not be forgiven.


	2. Chapter 2: Misplaced

**Chapter 2: Misplaced**

Irene was the first word that came to her mind; she assumed it was her name. But she couldn't remember anything else. Random words seemed to be floating around in her head and she tried her hardest to grab at some to make sense of what was happening. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make the connection between words such as scorch, virus, test, or metal. She knew what each meant, but not recalling ever coming across those things.

Irene was also acutely aware of the coolness of the metal platform she was laying on and the sensation of ascending. Finally, she opened her eyes only to close them again just to double-check she actually performed the deed.

All Irene could see above her was darkness. For all she knew, her mind could be playing a trick on her and she could be descending to a bottomless abyss.

The platform eventually came to a stop and it wasn't until something made a _thud_ sound did Irene realized there a few boxes surrounded her. She can't recall ever placing them there…though that was nothing new.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded from somewhere above her and she could faintly hear shouts. Irene was aware that they were of a male's, though she has given up trying to identify it with someone, _anyone_ that came to mind.

_Clank_. Something metal hit the ground and Irene had to use her hand to shield her eyes from the sudden beam of light that shined into her corner of darkness. Then numerous voices started talking at once.

"Hey it's someone with long hair."

"A girl?"

"Finally!"

"Dibs!"

"Are they gonna start sending up girls from now on?"

"She's going to work with the Cooks right?"

"All of you slim it!" Came a voice above all the rest. Suddenly, there was silence and Irene felt a presence beside her. The light helped her see the person more clearly. He was tall with auburn hair, amber eyes, olive skin and seemed to be in his late teens. He was wearing a simple blue t-shirt and beige shorts.

"Hey Greenie," the boy said. Irene figured now probably wasn't a good time to correct him on her name. "I don't know why you're here but I'm Nick. Nice to meet you and welcome to the Glade."

He stuck out his hand and Irene took it. She still didn't know how she felt at the moment. Not necessarily afraid; the boy who called himself Nick gave off a warm presence and didn't look like he was out for her blood. Not necessarily happy; there was no sense of familiarity between her and Nick, or the others standing above. Confusion would probably come the closest.

Before she could ponder more, a rope came down the hole and Nick reached out to grab it; one hand firmly on the rope and the other extended towards Irene, motioning for her to come closer.

"Go ahead," Irene decided, "I'll imitate what you're doing and climb up after you." No matter how friendly Nick may be, she wasn't going to have physically contact with a stranger so soon.

"Totally rejected Nick!" a deep voice sounded from above. Nick ignored the voice and proceeded to tying the rope around his waist, giving the rope a little tug, and used his feet to climb the walls while the others pulled him up. Minutes later, the rope came back down and Irene followed suit. As soon as she reached solid ground, she took in her surroundings carefully.

She was in the middle of a huge field of some sort, _kinda like a football field_ her brain supplied (funny her brain can do all these estimates when, for the life of her, she can't recall ever being in one). There's a forest on one end and several wooden structures spread out. Massive grey stone walls that almost seem to be compressing her surrounded the entire area.

The accumulation of her memory loss and the strange environment was finally catching up to her and she started backing off until her feet missed a step. Then a hand reached out to steady her before she could fall.

"Careful there. You don't want to fall back into the Box do you?" The voice said. Irene looked towards the source and saw a tall, muscular, blond boy with short hair and square jaws.

"Uh…Thanks." Irene got out.

"Names' Newt. How about yourself? Come up with a name yet?" The boy introduced himself and held his hand out. Irene took it with another look around and realized that there were about 40 others in total; all boys.

"Irene" she said, then hesitated as she asked "Is this all of you?"

"If you mean to ask whether there's any girls, then the answer is no. I'm afraid all the rest of us shanks are male. you're our first female Greenie" Newt answered. There it was again, the word Greenie. Irene couldn't figure out why he bothered to ask for her name when he was going to call her by something else anyways.

"You're taking this awfully calm aren't you?" Someone questioned suspiciously. Irene looked up to meet eyes with another tall muscular male with dark skin.

"I can't remember anything," Irene explained, "It's frightening in that aspect. But for all I know, this could've been how I lived my entire life. Why would I freak out in that case?"

"Looks like we've got ourselves a tough one here" Nick said bemused, "come on all you slintheads, get back to work. The sun is about to set soon. Irene, come with me; there's some things I want to show you."

Everyone dispersed quickly in all directions of the Glade. Irene quickly followed Nick, who was approaching a side of the stone wall. As she got closer and closer, Irene realized that the structure is even more overwhelming. Nick turned around to double check that she was following him, and then began to talk.

"Here at the Glade, we have three simple rules. Everyone is expected to follow them. Now that you're here, you have to follow them too. No exceptions." Nick said seriously. Irene nodded, and Nick took that as a cue to continue.

"Rule one: Everyone does their part. No slackers, simple enough to understand. Rule two: Never hurt another Glader. Our entire foundation is built on trust, you break it, you get punished." Nick said. They were extremely close to the stone walls now, and he reached out to touch it. Irene noticed that the scratches she'd assumed earlier were names carved onto to wall. Barely visible, but it was there; some where even had a line through it. "The final, but most important rule: Never go beyond these walls."

As if on cue, there was a loud noise coming from the walls. Irene rubbed her eyes to make sure that she was seeing correctly. But there it was, the opening of the walls were unmistakably _moving_; one side towards the other, dragging on the floor and creating the loud sound. Irene took a few steps back, just to make sure she didn't get caught.

"W-w-what…?!" Irene could barely get out.

"Every evening, the walls close like this. No exceptions." Nick explained, then continued right when Irene was about to open her mouth again, "Nuh-uh. No questions until tomorrow after I show you around. Come on, let's go get something to eat and find you a place to sleep. It must've been a long day for you."

Then without looking back, Nick headed towards the center of the place he'd called the Glade again. Irene was lead to a hut that looked like it served as a kitchen and introduced to Frypan, a big guy that looked to be the head cook. Irene looked around before settling against a tree to eat by herself. Nick had ditched her and ran off to who knows where and the other boys already huddled in small groups, all the while stealing glances in her direction. The blond boy who introduced himself as Newt earlier seemed friendly enough, but he was nowhere to be found either.

Just as Irene finished her food and returned the utensils back to Frypan, the dark muscular boy from earlier approached her.

"Come on Greenie, I'm suppose to show you where to sleep," he said in a monotone, not mean, but not exactly friendly either. Irene followed him quietly and approached the biggest of the buildings.

"You can sleep in this building or outside. You're choice," he said, handing Irene a sleeping bag. Irene looked around to see that several other boys also took out similar sleeping bags, while others settled themselves on hammocks.

"Thank you…?" Irene trailed off.

"Alby," the boy said, walking away, "tomorrow Nick will give you the full tour. No questions until then"

Then Irene was left alone. She thought back to everything that happened today, all the negative feelings suddenly building up inside her. With all the boys around her seemly following routine and all knowing what they were doing, she felt misplaced, the odd one out; like she was at the wrong place at the wrong time. All of a sudden, Irene heard whirling and clicking sounds coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. It made her shiver despite the moderate temperature. Irene quickly sat up looking around but nothing could be seen. That was the last straw of the tiresome day and she felt a panic attack coming on when she saw a tall figure approach.

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><p>I've decided to have a mix of book and movie elements because there's some aspects of each that I liked.<p>

But I've decided to stick with the book and set the briefly mentioned Nick as the leader of the Glade, and take Alby's personality from the books (remember this is set about a year after everything began). Alby did mentioned that Nick was better with newbies then he was.

Hope you enjoyed that chapter! (Sorry the first few chapters will be pretty standard and boring). Thanks to those who read, reviewed, followed, and favourited this story!

Can't wait to read what you think so please _**review**_

- Yuumii


	3. Chapter 3: The Glade

**Chapter 3: the Glade**

Irene looked up to see an Asian boy; around 16 years of age, tall with muscular arms and spiked black hair coming towards her. As he got closer, she could tell he had some kind of harness attached to his chest. The boy walked right past Irene without any acknowledgement and stopped in front the tree she was under and sat on the empty hammock.

That was the salt on the wound. Was her presence so insignificant here that she didn't even deserve a nod of acknowledgement? Irene flinched at the thought and gave a small whimper when she heard the whirling and clicking noise again.

"Which shank is crying at this hour?" a voice asked, it seemed to come from the general direction of the Asian boy, "Greenie, is that you again?"

There it was. That word _again_.

"Why does everyone insist on calling me by a colour?" Irene asked weakly towards his direction, "I have a name."

"Huh? That doesn't sound like the usual Greenie," the boy said, sitting up. He looked around and, due to the darkness; it took awhile for his sight to land on her. "Geez, Newt wasn't kidding. There's a girl in the Glade."

"Thanks Captain Obvious" Irene scoffed.

"Woah, this Greenie got attitude. I like it." The boy said, smirking. "But FYI, everyone here calls the newbie that comes out of the Box Greenie. Better get use to it girl"

"So what do they call people who are full of it like you?" Irene asked back. Despite his annoying attitude, this boy actually makes her kind of forget the depressing thoughts with their banter.

"Minho's the name," was the reply, "What's yours?"

"Are you going to bother remembering and calling me by it even if I tell you?" Irene asked.

"Try me"

"It's Irene."

"Ok Greenie. I'll keep that in mind," Minho teased, reverting straight back to the strange slang that everyone uses. Irene, having not been able to think of a good combat to that, simply stopped giving the boy her attention and laid back in her sleeping bag. As if making up for the sound of their conversation, the whirling and clicking sprung to life again.

"What is that sound?" Irene asked, a bit frightened, and to no one in particular.

"Better hope you never find out Irene," a voice answered her. It took Irene a minute to realize it was Minho, and that he had actually used her name. But before she could inquire further, she heard the soft snoring coming from his direction. Irene followed his example and tried to fall into a fitful sleep.

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><p>The first thing that came to her was the sound of people around her busying about. With a sigh and the realization that yesterday wasn't a figment of her imagination, Irene opened her eyes and sat up to look around.<p>

She, along with the younger boys, were the only ones still in the sleeping quarters. Most of the other boys were heading towards where the kitchen was, probably getting breakfast before they went to work. The hammock that the Asian boy Irene met last night, Minho she recalled, was also empty.

With that train of thought, Irene looked beyond the Glade and noticed that the massive grey walls have opened again, much like how she saw it yesterday when she just came up from the Box. The whirling and clicking from the previous night had also stopped and the shouts of the boys filled the void, a much more pleasant sound.

Irene combed through her bed hair with her hands and went towards the food cabin, just a little away from the hut where she was.

Breakfast was just like dinner, a quiet affair by herself. As Irene nibbled on the egg, bacon and toast, she tried to look for a familiar face. Finally, as she was just finishing up, she sees Nick making his way towards her.

"Morning Greenie," Nick greeted, "Slept well?"

"As good as can be expected what with all the noise." Irene replied. Nick creased his eyebrows together, indicating he knew exactly what kind of noise that kept Irene up during the night.

"Come with me. I'll give you the Tour today and we can go from there" Nick said, turning around and expecting Irene to follow. The two of them made their way towards the wall with the names again.

"Every Glader carves their name on this wall when they join." Nick explained, handing Irene a knife and nodding towards the wall encouragingly. Irene took it skeptically and approached the wall. She inspected the names and searched for the ones she recognized: Nick, Newt, Minho, Alby. She chose an empty spot off to the side of the wall, almost at the edge, and began working on her "I".

"Why are some names crossed off?" Irene asked, breaking the silence.

"Those are ones we lost." Nick responded after awhile.

"To what?"

"Various reasons: harsh conditions, denial, and fights." Nick's tone suggested that the topic was closed and Irene returned to the wall, working in silence. After the task was completed and the knife safely returned to its owner, Nick started walking again with Irene following closely behind. The two of them slowly made their way back to where they came from.

"As you can probably guess, I'm sort of the leader," Nick started, "Alby is my second-in-command. We have various jobs, each with it's own commander, we call them Keepers."

Irene nodded, indicating that she's following along. They've finally reached the sleeping quarters.

"This is where everyone sleeps and eats. We call it the Homestead." Nick said, gesturing towards the largest wooden structure in the Glade, "The Homestead is also where have Gatherings with the Keepers to make important decisions. Over there is the kitchen. Frypan is the Keeper of the Cooks. The boys working on the other side of the Homestead over there are the Builders and Bricknicks, lead by Gally and James."

"Let me guess, they build things?" Irene asked, a bit sarcastically.

"Building and fixing." Nick corrected. "They're working on a shelter that will serve as a quarter for the injured for Clint at the moment. Let's move on."

They followed along the circle and proceeded to the forest next. Irene followed a few meters into the forest, which Nick termed the "Deadheads", and stopped at a pond.

"I'd think you would ask about your appearance by now," Nick said, gesturing to the pond, "So just in case you're curious…"

Irene nodded in appreciation and walked towards the edge. She was also surprised that she hasn't thought to look at herself since she woke up. But then again, with everything that went on, appearance was the last thing on her mind. She must've not cared that much about her exterior in her previous life either.

The hazy reflection that stared back at her was that of a girl around 16, with black hair pass her shoulders and brown eyes. She was still wearing the simple blue t-shirt and common black shorts from the day before. Judging from the attire Nick was sporting, she guessed clothes wasn't easy to come by in the Glade.

Irene turned around, indicating she was finished inspecting, and followed Nick out of the forest.

They headed towards the "Bloodhouse" next. Irene didn't think it was an appropriate name to raise animals, even if they were to be slaughtered. When Irene pointed it out, Nick said the Keeper of the Slicers, Winston, insisted.

Finally, they made their way towards the gardens, on the other side of the Wall of Names, as Irene started calling it. There were a variety of vegetables and fruits grown in the section that deeply impressed Irene.

"Zart's quite proud of this year's harvest." Nick said. Irene assumed Zart was a Keeper too.

"This concludes the tour." Nick said, walking back to the Wall of Names. Irene realized they have made a full circle. "Any questions?"

She had so many she didn't know where to start. _From the beginning then_, she decided.

"You've lived here for about a year already and you've never tried to leave? Never thought to go back the way you came from?" Irene asked, point to the Box at the center of the Glade.

"The Box won't go down if someone is down there with it," Nick explained patiently, "and we need the Box to go down so it can bring us our weekly supply and monthly Greenie. So no, we haven't succeeded in leaving through the Box."

Irene absorbed the new information thoughtfully and contemplated her next question regarding where the openings of the wall lead. Just as she opened her mouth to ask, she noticed figures towards her from the said gates in the wall just before her.

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><p>Sorry it took me so long to update. Life's been really busy, so I'll most likely be updating during the weekends from now on.<p>

I know this chapter was really boring, but it was necessary introduction. I'm not completely satisfied with how it turned out :/

Regardless, thanks for all those who read, followed, favourited, and reviewed this story.

Please **review** and tell me what you think. Suggestions are always welcome ^_^

-Yuumii


	4. Chapter 4: The Runners of the Maze

**Chapter 4: The Runners of the Maze**

Upon closer look, one of the figures running towards them was Minho along with another boy Irene has yet to meet. She turned to Nick, confused.

"I thought you said no one was allowed beyond these walls?" she asked,

"No one except our Runners," Nick answered naturally.

"Runners?" The two boys were coming closer to them now.

"Their job is to search beyond these walls for a way out," Nick explained. The two "Runners" had come out of the gates now. Both of them had their hands on their knees, heads bent to catch their breaths.

"What are beyond these walls?" Irene asked again, seizing the opportunity to continue her questioning from before.

"A maze." The answer was simple, rational, yet it shocked Irene. She didn't know what she was expecting, but certainly not that. Nick had turned away from her and given his attention to the two currently on the grass. "Why are you guys early today?"

"We ran into a shuckin' Griever. Sleeping." Was the reply from Minho, his tone indicating that it was all the explanation that was needed; and to Nick, it was.

"Griever?" Irene questioned.

"The noise that kept you up last night" Minho answered again. That response earned a raised eyebrow from their two companions.

"_That's a creature?_" Irene exclaimed in disbelieve, completely dismissing the curious glances towards her and Minho. "I thought it was some kind of machinery behind the walls"

"I wish" the only stranger in the group muttered.

"What a way to end your last day of training huh?" Minho commented while the stranger just shook his head.

"Go do your day's work guys." Nick shooed them towards the other side of the Glade. With a nod, the two runners headed away from Nick and her, leaving them alone again.

"That was Minho and Adam by the way," Nick added, as an afterthought. Irene nodded in acknowledgement and opened her mouth to ask more about the maze when Nick interrupted her.

"You should grab something to eat from the Kitchen since we skipped lunch due to the Tour," Nick told her "Tomorrow, you'll start choosing for your own job here by rotating to every position available, one a day, until you've tried them all and is satisfied with one."

"Even as a Runner?" Irene asked, fearing the answer.

"As much as that would please Newt, I'm afraid that position is by nomination only." Nick answered, causing Irene to sigh in relief. She wasn't sure she was ready for the horror and excitement of the creatures called the Grievers and the Maze.

"Why would it please Newt?" Irene asked, just to keep the conversation going and refraining from awkward silences.

"Newt is the Keeper of the Runners. Unfortunately, they are shorthanded right now, which is why Adam had to get trained."

"Newt's the Keeper? I thought it'd be Minho, what with him training Adam and all." She replied, truly curious with the workings of the Glade now.

"Ask him if you're interested," with that, Nick stalked off towards the Homestead; not even telling Irene just which "him" he was referring to.

Irene was left to her own devices until the walls began to close; signaling dinnertime. As the walls began to shut, Irene saw a blond head charge out of the maze the last second and, like the others, headed towards the small hut near the Deadheads. Though curious, she thought the better of it and headed towards the kitchens instead. She was one of the first to arrive since she didn't have work to finish. Once there, Frypan, approached her.

"Hi. I don't believe we've been properly introduced yesterday. My name is Siggy, but everyone just calls be Frypan. I'm Keeper of the Cooks." The slightly chubby, dark skinned teen said cheerily, holding out his hand.

"Hi. I'm Irene." There wasn't really a need to introduce herself since everyone here obviously knows who she was already, but manners were manners (even though she doesn't remember who drilled them into her in the first place).

"Nick wants me to tell you that you are starting with me tomorrow." Frypan explained. Irene tried really hard not to roll her eyes on the outside, but she couldn't help doing it mentally anyways. _Of course_ _they'd put a girl in the kitchen first_, she thought.

"You were suppose to start with the Builders, but Gally said they didn't need help from the 'Greenie'" Frypan, who seemed to have followed her train of thought, jumped quickly to explain.

"Okay. When should I be here tomorrow?" Irene asked, accepting the excuse, figuring she's going to have to eventually try everything anyways.

"Just when the sun begins to rise. Runners get up earlier than the rest and the Cooks have to get up even earlier to serve them." Frypan said. Irene nodded her head in understanding, and thanked Frypan when he served her the food.

Irene took her food to an oddly shaped table, quietly observing the others. She saw Minho and Adam come out from the hut to head towards the kitchen, get some food, and sat down with a bunch of other boys. She realized that despite everyone being friends with one another, they tended to stay within their own cliques. Just as she was finishing up her food, she saw Newt approach her with his own plate.

"Mind if I sit down here?" Newt asked, gesturing to the empty spot across from her.

"No problem." Irene consented.

"How's your first day as a Glader Greenie?" Newt asked. Irene carefully hid the scowl from the slang and answered.

"It's a lot to take in." Irene answered honestly.

"Found out anything interesting?"

"Besides the fact that we are trapped inside a maze with terrifying creatures roaming it and there are guys running around in it everyday and the person in front of me seemed to be the valiant leader of all of them?" Newt blushed at the last compliment. As he couldn't think of anyway to reply, an awkward silence followed as the boy ate. Finally, Irene spoke again.

"If you're the Keeper of the Runners, then why didn't you train Adam?"

"Due to the lack of Runners, I had to take on two sections today." Newt answered. Irene didn't understand what he meant by that, but figured she'd stay on topic. That was a discussion for another time; when she's ever going to be interested in taking on the actual position.

"So you entrusted the training of such a dangerous job to Minho?"

"Minho and I are on the same level," Newt defended, "In fact, he's probably more suitable as a trainer. I'm stuck with the fancy title because the shank is too hot headed to deal with the politics of the Glade"

Irene smiled despite the unfamiliar slang and nodded in understanding. Maybe there was more to everyone than the first impression.

"Shank?"

"It's a Glader slang." Newt said.

"Everyone here uses it so naturally," Irene frowned. That was also another reason why she might have felt left out. The most basic interaction is communication afterall.

"Hey, I'm offering lessons." Newt said, amused.

"I'll take you up on that when you're not busy running around inside a giant wall all day."

That earned a smile and the two fell into conversation easily after that. Irene knows this is a good start. Newt is probably her first real friend in the Glade. Or was it her second?

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, it looks like I'll only have time to update on the weekends, but I promise to at least update that much .<p>

This was another long chapter of necessary explanation. But the next chapter will be the last foundation chapter and the start of the adventure! Please look forward to it!

Thanks everyone for the support! Please **review** and let me know what you think. Suggestions are always welcome ^_^

-Yuumii


	5. Chapter 5: A Brewing Storm

**Chapter 5: A Brewing Storm**

The sound of the gates dragging open woke Irene and she couldn't understand how she slept through the noise the day before. She got up just as the first rays of the sun peaked from behind the walls of the maze. The advantage to getting up early was that there was hardly anyone to be wary about when it came to the morning routines. She made a face when she realized she's still in the clothes she arrived in, and mentally put that issue in the back of her mind as something she should bring up with Nick.

When the Kitchen came into view, she could also see that Frypan was already waiting for her, and 4 others behind him already working. He greeted her and handed her the apron in his outstretched hand. Irene couldn't understand how someone can be so cheery so early in the morning. Frypan put her to work immediately, starting from basics like beating the eggs and washing fruits and vegetables, and explaining to her their daily schedule at the same time.

The Cooks worked the longest hours. Each morning, they had to get up the earliest to prepare breakfast for everyone and packed lunch for the Runners. Then they had to get lunch ready, and later dinner. At the end of the day, they had to collect the crops from the Track-hoes and meat from the Slicers. Just as Frypan finished explaining the work set out for her throughout today, Irene saw the figures of the Runners approach. Two stood out to her. Minho, who wore the same harness day and night, and Newt by his side. Both of them carried a small backpack with them.

"Good morning Irene," Newt greeted her. Ever since their talk last night, Newt has started calling her by her actual name. It was a nice change.

"Morning Newt, morning Minho," Irene returned, retrieving the breakfast plates from Frypan and handing the two their breakfast.

"Morning Greenie" Minho smirked; taking the plate and ignoring the glare she sent his way. Irene didn't understand how he had the energy to be irritating this early.

"Ignore him. The shank's just jolly because he can finally run by himself again today." Newt explained as the two of them sat down close to the Kitchens where Irene was laying out more plates.

"And you don't have to take up two sections, which is why you aren't out there already. It's a win win for both of us." Minho argued back, stuffing scrambled eggs in his mouth.

Irene watched the familiarity in their interactions and listened as they exchange remarks back and forth, all the while, still preparing the breakfast for the hoard of boys that are just starting to wake. The Runners, Irene counted eight, returned the empty dishes as they grabbed the sandwiches, water bottle, and apple that Will, another Cook, had set out for them.

Newt turned around to smile goodbye to Irene as he met up with a waiting Adam and pointed him towards the North Gates. She faintly made out the words "two" and "smallest section". The Runners separated into pairs; two at each gate. Then as if a starting pistol sounded, all of them sprinted into the maze at once.

Before Irene's mind could wonder off to the mysterious and terrifying maze, the rest of the boys had started to gather for their first meal of the day. Irene dutifully handed it to them. Several boys even greeted her a good morning with a smile although she wasn't sure whether it was because of the food or the fact that they were getting use to having a girl around.

After breakfast, a boy who looked no older than twelve came and took the dishes to the wash bins unquestioningly and started to clean them. Just as Irene was about to approach him to help, Frypan came up to her.

"Let him do it" he said, "He's a Slopper, his job is to clean."

"That's not really nice to leave all the cleaning to him," Irene said, frowning.

"It is what it is," Frypan responded with a shrug, "There's a balance. Even the worst jobs needs to be done."

The tone signified the end of the conversation. Irene wondered whether it was a requirement for Keepers to know promptly when to shut someone up. Frypan then sent her to wash and slice the tomatoes and lettuce for the sandwiches for lunch.

The day passed quickly as lunch passed and the Cooks had to get ready for dinner. Irene seemed to be doing nothing but washing, cutting, and handing out the food. Frypan and Will seemed to be the only two to handle the actual cooking, with two others portioning off the food and the last one prepping the ingredients like her.

The food was ready just as the sun began to orange, signaling sunset. Irene noticed that the Gladers doesn't seem to be running to line up for food like lunch, but rather all gathered at the North Gate. The rest of the Cooks seemed to notice too, and all of them quickly approached the growing crowd.

Frypan pushed his way to the front where Nick, Alby, and Newt were standing, as well as some other boys whom Irene assumed were Keepers. It seemed that Irene was so engrossed with her work that she didn't notice that the Runners had returned for the day. As she strained to get a good look at what exactly caused the commotion, she heard whispers of Grievers and "_another one"_. Finally, she pushed her way to Minho, who was standing directly behind Newt. He had a worried look on his face that Irene has yet to see him display.

"What's going on?" Irene asked, but Minho ignored her. She repeated the question again a bit louder and giving him a little tap on the shoulder. That seemed to startle him out of his trace.

"Adam's not back yet." Minho explained, all sarcasm and humor gone. "He was due 10 minutes ago and the gates are about to close."

Several boys were now shouting out Adam's name towards the open gates but no one dared to step a foot further from where they were standing.

"What happens if he doesn't return?" Irene asked.

"The Grievers will most likely get to him, if they haven't already." Minho explained again.

"_Get to him?_"

"Yeah. No one has stayed a night with the gates closed and lived to tell it."

Irene recalls the whirling and clicking she hears at night; so loud it was impossible to tune out. Then remembered the bright boy she saw yesterday, being dragged off of by the creature that made the sound and prayed that he was just around the corner. But as if to spite her, the noise started and the gates begin to close. Irene can't seem to tear her eyes away, staring so hard almost as if she's willing Adam to magically appear and make it in the nick of time.

But of course, her prayers weren't answered as the mechanism locked in place; sealing the fate of a teenage boy. Irene can't help but feel that there's something that she's missing, just tingling at the back of her mind. Something about the current situation that didn't sit well _at all_ with her. But before she could dwell on it further, she felt a tug on her arm and looked to see Minho dragging her in the direction of the Kitchens. She wordlessly followed.

The rest of the night was quiet. There were murmurs here and there but there wasn't a single Glader that didn't feel the gravity of the situation. As Irene settled to sleep, she noticed that Minho was already in his hammock, staring at the trees above him and lost in thought. Again, she heard the clicking and whirling in the background, wondering about Adam.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Irene got up along with the rest of the Gladers. It seemed that the daily routine was put on hold as everyone waited for the North Gate to open. With the picture that the whispers of the others painted in her head the previous night, she didn't expect there to be anything to discover. But again, she was proved wrong; because on the floor of the maze, lays the pale and lifeless form of Adam.<p>

* * *

><p>Hope this chapter was more interesting. Things will start to pick up from here!<p>

Thanks for all your support of this story. Please leave a **review** and tell me what you think. As well as anything you'd like to see.

-Yuumii


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